Many economic analysts will be looking to 2013 as the defining year for the American recovery. It has been nearly five years since the onset of the Great Recession, and after years of improving business conditions, 2013 may hold the keys to a return to a stable national economy.

Jobs are one of the most crucial aspects of that recovery. If it's any indication that hiring managers across the country are ready to hire more people in the new year, it might just be a good year to renew talks with recruiting agencies on hiring more talent.

Steady job creation in 2013
According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of a job listing aggregator, 26 percent of the more than 2,600 hiring managers said they plan to hire additional full-time, permanent employees in 2013, a 3 percent gain over the same outlook generated for 2012. Fifty-five percent do not expect to change staff size, and 9 percent plan to decrease their workforce.

The majority of hiring managers said they would be looking to hire for sales and information technology jobs, 29 percent and 27 percent, respectively. Engineering (22 percent) was another key employment field managers were looking to hire in, as was production (22 percent), business development (18 percent), accounting and finance (14 percent) and marketing (14 percent).

Employers still struggle with talent search
While employers are creating more positions, they are also finding it increasingly difficult to fill those jobs, and are turning to staffing agencies and other employment search techniques.

For instance, 19 percent of all workers said they had been approached by another company in the last year unsolicited: 33 percent of sales workers said the same. However, conducting such searches alone are risky, and businesses could improve their prospects by consulting with employment agencies on a confidential search.

Many employers are also creating their own skilled workers to compensate for the talent gap. Thirty-nine percent of employers said they will train workers with minimal experience in a unfamiliar field, and then switch them to different positions within the organization. Again, this technique may not be the most suitable option because the company may be taking talent away from one area of the business and repurposing it. However, even though many will try out the strategy because of the increasingly competitive jobs market, recruiting agencies stand at the ready to assist employers in finding natural talent for their desired field.